Recent anthropological and socio-historical research on Maroon populations suggests that
Maroon communities have undergone significant social change since the 1960s spurred by
processes of urbanization. However, to date very little is known about how these social
changes are impacting on the Maroon Creoles as there is very little sociolinguistic research
being carried out in the region. The aim of this paper is to examine the sociolinguistic
context of the Maroon Creoles in the light of data from two recent sociolinguistic surveys
carried out in Suriname and French Guiana. The findings demonstrate that the
sociolinguistic status of Maroon languages has undergone various changes. Several of
them are now well represented in French Guiana and, as additional languages, are gaining
speakers both in Suriname and French Guiana. While their speakers increasingly practice
them together with other languages, thus displaying their multilingual repertoire, there is
little indication that their survival is threatened because their speakers predominantly hold
positive attitudes towards them.